After being fired by Dallas last year, Rob Ryan turned the Saints defense around in 2013

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Former Cowboys assistant and current Saints head coach Sean Payton believes former Cowboys assistant and current Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is destined for a head coaching gig in the NFL.

Ryan turned around the Saints defense this year after being fired by the Cowboys last January, bringing them from last in the league in total defense in 2012 to fourth in 2013. Yet, his name has been conspicuously absent from the known candidate pools for the coaching vacancies around the league. On PFTLive on NBCSN, via ProFootballTalk.com, Payton was asked about Ryan’s prospects as a head coach in the NFL.

“I think he’s going to be a head coach,” Payton said. “I think he’s got a personality that starts with being passionate about the game. He’s also exceptional within the framework of the staff and I think as owners and General Managers look closely at candidates, there’s a handful of things that would be important and compatibility ranks right there at the top.

“So he’s someone that is very well liked within the building from the business side to the football side. I think he’s got a great way about getting the players to play hard, making it exciting and putting them in the best positions possible and again communicating that message with his staff. It’s been a team effort on that side of the ball and I think that here’s a guy that grew up around football and those experiences are invaluable.”

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